North Korea flirts with nuclear talks

The disclosure of the contacts came as a senior defence department official in Singapore, travelling with Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, said the administration would probably decide within weeks whether to push for U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

The comments by the official suggested that the long-running debate within the Bush administration over how to handle North Korea may be coming to a boil. President George W. Bush is scheduled to meet South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun June 10.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it would be optimistic to assume that a decision would be made that quickly. She said neither she nor Bush had a timetable in mind.

U.S. and Asian officials would say little about the back-channel contacts between North Korea and state department negotiators led by Christopher R. Hill, the newly appointed assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

One official said the contacts, through the North Korean mission to the United Nations, appeared to mark a softening of North Korea's refusal to participate in negotiations.

His colleagues say Hill, a seasoned negotiator, is looking for leeway to give North Korea incentives to return to the talks but is meeting resistance from officials who want to stand pat with Bush's vaguely worded offer last year to improve relations once North Korea begins dismantling all of its nuclear facilities and allows full inspections.

Administration officials have been floating a variety of plans for possible sanctions for many weeks, including what some officials said they hoped would be less contentious approaches, like an effort to intercept any suspected shipments of missiles, drugs or counterfeit currency. That could amount to a near total quarantine of the country, but it would work only if China participated.

So far, China has gone the other way, increasing trade with North Korea dramatically. So has South Korea.

South Korea and China have also argued vigorously against any move by the United Nations, which North Korea has said it would regard as an act of war. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China has veto power, and it has been the focus of strong criticism from Rumsfeld for its increasing military buildup.

Both countries have urged the United States to improve upon last year's offer to North Korea.

The senior official travelling with Rumsfeld, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the administration's interagency re-examination of its policy on North Korea was driven by its frustration that the six-party talks have been stalled for a year.

The Security Council option "is something we're giving increased study to," said the official, who said "probably we'll come to a decision in the next few weeks," after Roh's visit.